Point... and shoot...

Sounds easy, right? Just like the descripter says: aim that little guy at your subject, push the button, and let it do the magic! Yes, that seems infinitely easier than changing lenses, manually zooming and focussing, setting up apertures and shutter speeds... not to mention hauling around a MASS of a camera that fits in nothing smaller than a case the size of my head...!!

So in light of all the point'n'shoot hype, I bought myself one. A sleek little Panasonic DMC-LX2. This 10MP beauty shoots in RAW as well as jpeg, and an especially neat feature is it's 16:9 format capability. That means landscape photos are vast, almost panoramic! I took it out yesterday on a major hiking/climbing excursion, where the weight of a person's backpack is a huge consideration. And, when it comes to items other than necessities, the rule between my partners and I is 'if you really want to bring it, you have to carry it'... I was able to shave off almost 4lbs by carrying along the LX2 as opposed to my Pentax, and the convenience of snapping a photo one-handed was appreciated. The ease of use of this camera is attractive, and the photo quality is what I would deem exceptional for a camera with such a small sensor, too.

I have to say however, I still enjoy the results I get with my D-SLR. Perhaps it's just that I have become so used to it? Oh, there definitely will be times and places for the little guy (like events where they claim 'No Cameras Allowed!' - because it fits nicely inside a jacket pocket), but I'm thinking I'll learn to suck it up and slog the extra weight around with me...

I get around...?

Ha ha ha! Bet that post title made you look?! Recently, a friend made mention that judging by some of my photos, it seems that I "get around" (by transit of course! was his disclaimer...) Not only did that statement make me laugh out loud, it made me reminisce about some of my travels and evoked a serious yearning to go on another trip. I've been fortunate enough so far to see small portions of South and Central America, Mexico and the Bahamas, and I've been to many beautiful places in the U.S. and of course Canada. But the world is so huge... and in the big scheme of things, I really haven't been around at all!! The pyramids in Egypt... an African Safari... a trek through the Himalaya... a REAL Tazmanian Devil... Stonehenge... penguins in the Antarctic... the Galapagos Islands... my wish-list of things to do and see and photograph goes on and on and on!! It would be a dream come true if I could quit my job, sell everything (except my camera), and just GO! Can you imagine a better way to educate ones self and enjoy life? I can't. Right now however, I'm just not that brave - but I'm working on it!! In the meantime, I have a decent work schedule which allows a fair amount of time for travelling... and until the day comes that I'm ready to book my plane ticket with no fixed return date... I'm not going to complain - I'll just plan small trips and keep dreaming of the big one!!

Cheers.

Cruel and unusual...

Okay... maybe not so much cruel... but definitely unusual! I must say, my favorite photos are of the random type - taken from odd angles, of not-so-ordinary subjects, maybe using a fun lens such as a fisheye or Lensbaby (http://lensbaby.com/). I enjoy pretty much anything that makes me think "Hey, is that ever different." Of course I understand there are technical aspects to the really great photographs in this world... but sometimes, in my opinion anyway, originality and creativity override things such as the rule of thirds, perfect exposure or tack-sharp focus. That being said, I have taken my share of 'standard' pictures for sure... but I prefer being abstract and recording things from a different point of view. I guess that's why I'd rather photograph objects or animals as opposed to formally photographing people... I've yet to have a bunch of flowers complain that I cut off their heads or underexposed them!!

Cheers!